Depressed and in debt following the death of his wife, Santoshi (Jiro Sato) tells his young daughter he has found a way out. Pointing to a reward note, he vows to find the infamous serial killer “No Name” (Hiroya Shimizu) and cash in, claiming to have seen the man in the flesh a few days earlier. Kaeda (Aoi Ito) cannot take her aloof father seriously. But when he goes missing without a trace, she starts to fear the worst—and must begin looking for him.
For in-depth thoughts on Missing (2022), please see my colleague Devin McGrath-Conwell’s review from its Fantastic Fest 2022 screening here.
Video Quality
Missing (2022) debuts on Blu-Ray with a 1080p presentation in its original 2.39:1 aspect ratio that brings this visually striking movie to life. The transfer provides a stellar amount of detail and clarity, especially in distinct aspects of the environment, clothing and production design. Objects hold up well even in the more shadowy environments and retain their depth with banding rarely showing up in any capacity. The movie features black levels of immense depth that hold together nicely without crushing. The highlights of the movie are stable with no highlights blooming or clipping. The movie itself has a crisp, natural palette that stands out on screen with a few of the more vivid hues popping off the screen. No damage or digital noise was detected that would detract from this transfer. Dark Star Pictures delivered a top notch disc for this one.
Audio Quality
The film comes to Blu-Ray with a very effective DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track in the original Japanese which never falters. While this is more of a subdued slow burn tale, there is a great amount of activity with this track. Surround channels get some impressive activity during the exterior scenes in the city and when by the water. The movie fleshes out environmental sounds to make the locations feel more three dimensional and authentic. The low end adds some terrific texture that enhances the unsettling atmosphere. The dialogue and sound effects are balanced well with the score where nothing gets lost. You really cannot go wrong here on the audio front. There are optional English subtitles provided.
Special Features
- Stage Greeting at Special Preview Screening: A 23-minute presentation from Japan in which the key cast members and the director discuss the film for an audience who is seeing a preview. In this piece they discuss the acting challenges, the direction of Shinzô Katayama, personal experiences and more.
- Deleted Scene: A two-minute unused scene is provided here in which Kaede is having dinner at her teacher’s house and has an interesting exchange with her children. It makes sense why it was cut, but it is a welcome addition to the package.
- ACA Cinema Project – Emerging Japanese Films Q&A: A 41-minute Q&A from the ACA Cinema Project in which director Shinzô Katayama discusses the effects of shooting during a pandemic, the inspiration for certain elements, the themes of the film, the personal elements that were written into the narrative, his direction style, the reception of the feature and more that provides some great insight into the narrative.
- Trailers: The two-minute trailer for Missing is provided here. There are also trailers provided for Onoda: 10,000 Nights In The Jungle, The Last Matinee, The Passenger, Honeydew and Fair Game.
Final Thoughts
Missing (2022) is a slow burn thriller filled with consistent surprises to keep you on your toes. While you may be sure you know where the narrative is leading you at any given point, it is almost a certainty that a new puzzle piece is right around the corner to help bring next context to everything you have witnessed up until that point. While this could easily be too messy and convoluted, the tight script keeps things perfectly tuned to a frequency that rewards in both suspense and genuine emotion. This is not a film that has been given a huge spotlight, but those who take the time to seek it out should be very pleased by what they find. Dark Star Pictures has released a Blu-Ray featuring an excellent A/V presentation and some worthwhile special features. If you are open to the riches of international cinema, be sure to give this one a shot. Recommended
Missing (2022) is currently available to purchase on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Dark Star Pictures has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
